


Children, In Relation to Us

by Kyrakat



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Homeschool Dads, Multi, Quintis - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:28:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3385148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyrakat/pseuds/Kyrakat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An angsty Homeschool Dads drabble that spiraled into Quintis cuteness. Toby and Walter talk about the past while baby-sitting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Children, In Relation to Us

“You know, there was a time I thought we might find ourselves one of these,” Toby said, straddling the arm on the couch with his hand protectively stroking the sleeping boys hair.

“A kid?” the other man asked as he rose from his hunched position in front of his personal computer. His face was contorted into classic Walter bewilderment.

“Well, yeah,” Toby was holding eye contact but his hand busied itself playing with Ralph’s hair. 

Walter leaned against his desk and folded his arms, looking at the child sleeping on his sofa instead of the man directly across from him.

“And, why is that?”

“We did okay with Sly,” Toby said, nodding his hatted head down towards the garage. “He could have isolated himself, cut himself off from the world and ended up not being able to function outside these walls without having to be rushed to the hospital because someone thinks he’s having a heart attack. But you found him, gave him a place he belonged and I taught him how to live with his anxiety. We were a good team. Always have been.”

“When I found Sylvester he was a teenager, not a child,” Walter informed him. “Child rearing isn’t really my forte, let alone infant care.”

“You don’t see yourself ever having kids because you never had a relationship with your dad and then the one father figure you had let you down in a big way and now you think you don’t know what being a father means,” Toby quickly analyzed. “Not only that but Drew coming back into Ralph’s life didn’t exactly inspire confidence that you’re all he needed. You’re confused because what we-the team, have isn’t any kind of family you’re aware of. Just because you and your family are abnormal doesn’t mean you aren’t-or wouldn’t, be a good dad, Walter.”

“Why are you bringing this up? If this,” he said, gesturing to the three of them, “is bringing up some kind of nostalgic, romantic memories for you, you should know that it isn’t for me. Just because there’s a younger person we feel responsibility for, and therefore sharing that responsibility as two guardians would, doesn’t mean we should repeat the past. We are not Ralph’s guardians and Ralph is not Sylvester. And having a child would not rewind time.”

“I’m not saying it would,” Toy said, softening a touch and looking back down at Ralph. “I was just commenting on the fact that back when it was the three of us sharing a shitty one-bedroom apartment, I had thought that when Scorpion got off the ground we would...I don’t know.”

“You do know, you always know,” Walter said as harshly as he would allow himself to with a sleeping 10 year old in the room.

“What, you want me to say that I thought we’d settle down like a normal couple and raise a family together?” He took his hand away from Ralph's head out of anger. Standing up, he snatched the paperback he had been reading to Ralph and began bending it as he walked behind the couch so Ralph was in between them.

“We were never normal, and we were never a couple,” Walter whispered in a hiss.

“Oh really? What were we, exactly? What do you call sleeping together in both the innocent and totally not innocent meaning of the phrase?” Toby attempted to whisper shout at Walter from across the couch. “What do you call sharing everything including a bed and, god, a toothbrush? We basically homeschooled Sylvester together. You made us dinner, Walter, every time we couldn’t afford to order in which was almost always.” He took a deep breath. “If we weren’t a couple then why did you have to leave me for Collins?”

“I don’t...I don’t sleep with multiple people at the same time,” Walter rubbed his face out of frustration. “It isn’t necessary. Sexual release is sexual release and I just happened to be spending more time with Collins. It was efficient.”

“You don’t get to make that claim,” he said pointing the book at Walter. “You started liking our arrangement and it scared you, just like it scares you now with Paige. You love her son and you love her and you don’t know what to do about it because last time you ran. This time you have a company to run and can’t just drop of a mechanical prodigy you found on the street to take care of us.”

“I found her for you!” Walter shouted without thinking. They both looked down at the same time to find a yawning, yet completely awake Ralph. 

“Hey bud,” said Toby, swinging his leg over the back of the couch so he was once again straddling Walter’s furniture. “Go back to sleep, ok? I was just leaving.”

“He told Happy to take care of you because he doesn’t know how to show his love,” Ralph said, wiping sleep out of his eyes. “Right, Walter? You thought maybe Toby and Happy would fall in love because you knew you two weren’t right together and that he wouldn’t be happy raising a real family with you. And he was right, wasn’t he Toby? You’re happier with Happy?”

The two adults paused and looked at each other.

“It is right in her name, isn’t it, Ralphy boy?” he finally said, messing up the ten year olds hair. “Maybe you’re actually more like me than Walter, which is a good thing because I’m far more superior than him.” He smiled a weak smile at his weak joke. “Better start your Harvard application now if you want to get into the medical program, buddy.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Walter said as he flopped down next to Ralph. “Want to finish reading this?” he asked Ralph as he held out his hand to Toby to take the book back. Toby handed it to him and let Walter’s touch linger a second longer than necessary before pulling his hand away and walking away. 

“Did I hear shouting?” Happy asked when Toby walked downstairs. Instead of answering he pulled her to him by the waist and buried his face in her hair.

“What is this--what are you doing--Toby we have rules about work touching,” said Happy despite making no efforts to push him off of her.

“Did I ever thank you for doing all of that when Collins was around?” he asked, his voice muffled by her hair. “Because you didn’t have to do any of it-paying our rent or making sure Sylvester and I ate or pulling Walter out of the rabbit hole for me, you didn’t have to do any of it just because a crazed man claiming to be a genius with the fourth highest IQ ever recorded asked you to.”

“He thought I was brilliant, wanted to hire me, and he brought me to you. I didn’t pull him out of the rabbit hole for you, numb nuts, I did it for him. To thank him. He told me this job and this team would change my life for the better because it did his. He wasn’t wrong. He’s practically never wrong,” she smirked, pulling Toby’s head from her shoulders so she could look at him.

“It’s his most annoying character trait which is saying something because he has a lot of them,” Toby mumbled, pouting slightly as Happy held his face in her hands. She looked around to make sure they were alone and gave him a quick kiss.

“Hey, Happy?” he asked as they parted and she hooked her arms with his and walked back towards the kitchen. “What are your thoughts on children? Specifically in relation to the two of us?”

“Toby Curtis, are you pregnant?” she asked with a slight smirk on her lips.

“Nah, but I’m about to be, let’s put a food baby in me stat.”

“Please stop saying these things.”


End file.
